Danilo wins national title with Uberlândia, adds to coaching haul | OneFootball

An idol for Corinthians on the pitch, Danilo Gabriel de Andrade is now beginning to build a winning path off it as well. This Sunday (13), the former attacking midfielder won the Brazilian Championship Série D in charge of Uberlândia, the coach’s second title in less than a year working in professional football.

The triumph was confirmed at Parque do Sabiá, in Uberlândia, after a 1-1 draw with ASA in the second leg of the final. As the Minas Gerais side had won the first match 2-0 in Arapiraca, they took the trophy with a 3-1 aggregate score.

Photo: Rafael Ribeiro / CBF

In front of more than 36,000 fans, Uberlândia saw ASA open the scoring in the 21st minute of the first half through Michel Douglas. The response came shortly after. In the 32nd minute, Calazans made the most of a corner kick to level it. The score remained unchanged until the final whistle, confirming the club’s first Série D title in its history.

In addition to the trophy, the campaign also sent Uberlândia back to the Brazilian Championship Série C. The team had not played in the national third division since 2003. Over the course of the 2026 Série D, they recorded 12 wins, seven draws, and only three defeats, scoring 29 goals and conceding 15.

Danilo took over the team during Série D

Danilo arrived at Uberlândia in early June, when the first phase of the competition was already underway. From that point on, he led the club through the run that ended with promotion and a national title.

In the knockout rounds, the Minas Gerais team got past Rio Branco-ES, Serra Branca-PB, Portuguesa, CSA, and ABC-RN before facing ASA in the final. The advantage built away from home, with the 2-0 win in the first leg, allowed Uberlândia to manage the return match and celebrate in front of their fans.

The achievement adds to the list of impressive results Danilo has posted in a short time in professional football. The former Corinthians player did not manage any teams in 2025 and only began this stage of his career in 2026.

Before Uberlândia, the coach was in charge of Pouso Alegre in the Campeonato Mineiro. Right in the opening round, he beat Cruzeiro 2-1 at Mineirão. The team finished the group stage in second place in its group and advanced to the semifinals as the best runner-up among the three groups.

Pouso Alegre was eventually eliminated by Cruzeiro itself in the semifinal, but ended its campaign with the Campeonato Mineiro do Interior title, the first in the club’s history. Months later, Danilo lifted another trophy, this time in a national competition.

His coaching path began at Corinthians

Before taking over professional teams, Danilo took his first steps as a coach at Corinthians. Hired by the club in 2023 to work with the Under-23 team, he later went on to manage the Under-20 side.

It was at Parque São Jorge that he won his first title on the touchline. In 2024, he led Timão to the Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior title. The experience in the youth ranks came before his move to Minas Gerais and the start of his career as a professional coach.

So Danilo has already collected three titles since trading the pitch for the technical area: the 2024 Copinha with Corinthians, the Campeonato Mineiro do Interior with Pouso Alegre, and now the Brazilian Série D with Uberlândia.

Danilo’s history in the Corinthians shirt

The current coach’s connection with Corinthians, however, was built mainly during his nine years as a player at the club. Danilo arrived at Parque São Jorge in 2010 and stayed through the end of the 2018 season, becoming one of the names most closely identified with one of the most successful eras in the club’s history.

In total, the midfielder played 359 matches for Timão, 211 of them as a starter. He recorded 193 wins, 90 draws, and 76 losses, in addition to 35 goals and 36 assists.

Danilo also took part in eight titles wearing the Corinthians shirt. The collection began with the 2011 Brazilian Championship and had its most memorable chapters in 2012, with the unbeaten Libertadores and Club World Cup triumphs. After that, the midfielder also lifted the Paulista and the Recopa Sudamericana in 2013, the 2015 Brasileirão, the 2017 Brasileirão, and the 2018 Paulista.

In the 2012 Libertadores, he played a decisive role in the campaign that gave Corinthians their first title in the tournament. In the final against Boca Juniors, in the first leg at La Bombonera, he provided the backheel assist for Romarinho to score the 1-1 equalizer. Timão would win the second leg 2-0 at Pacaembu to lift the trophy.

His farewell as a Corinthians player came in December 2018. Years later, Danilo returned to the club to begin a new chapter, this time as a youth-team coach.

Now, at 47, the former No. 20 adds another achievement to his résumé. Used to lifting trophies for Corinthians as a player and also a Copinha-winning coach, Danilo closes out the 2026 Série D with promotion, a national title, and another important step in his still-recent path in professional football.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.